Richard N. Velotta

Story Archive

Gaming Commission rejects slot machines at cash registers
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Nevada Gaming Commission has rejected a new game concept that would have enabled convenience store customers to take their change from a transaction as a credit on a slot machine at the cash register. Commissioners today voted 3-2 to reject a proposal.
Two trade shows have different strategies for Las Vegas
Friday, March 12, 2010
Little by little, the convention and trade show industry is rebounding.
Q&A: Michael Morton, developer and operator of the N9NE Group
Friday, March 12, 2010
It’s no surprise that Michael Morton, the developer and operator of the upscale N9NE Group restaurants and nightclubs at the Palms, is where he is today.
Convention Center’s recycling rate among nation’s best
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
More than half of the discarded materials from the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center were recycled in 2009, but the recycling rate of those facilities' building partners helped push the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's green record to among the best in the country among meeting facilities.
World Trade Center to be established in Las Vegas
Head of LVCVA says development signals to world city is a business destination
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The organization that produces the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has obtained the trademark rights for “World Trade Center, Las Vegas” and will work to develop a location in the city as a center for international trade.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air plans flights to Hawaii
Friday, March 5, 2010
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air is going to Hawaii. The airline’s parent company, Allegiant Travel Co., today announced plans to acquire six Boeing 757-200 twin-engine jets that would have the range to reach the Hawaiian Islands from western cities the airline currently serves.
Q&A: Randall Fine, Managing Director, Fine Point Group
Friday, March 5, 2010
Randall A. Fine has accumulated a wealth of experience from big-time gaming operators in his eight-year casino career.
McCarran International Airport traffic declines a bit
Friday, March 5, 2010
Passenger counts at McCarran International Airport showed a fractional decline in January from last year.
Harrah’s secret: Cut costs, back to basics
Friday, March 5, 2010
Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. took the time-tested formula of cutting expenses and getting back to operational basics as part of its strategy to restructure debt and dodge a date in Bankruptcy Court, executives told a Las Vegas business organization last week. But when two key executives gave a Las Vegas business organization an inside look at what Harrah’s did to survive, some of the moves turned out to be surprisingly simple.
Board backs slots license for former troubled payday loan operator
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The state Gaming Control Board has recommended approval of a slot-route license for a Henderson company whose owners once operated payday loan stores that were closed voluntarily after being notified by the Nevada Financial Institutions Division that they were violating state lending laws.
Obama visit turns Grand Canyon wedding plan into grand disappointment
Friday, Feb. 26, 2010
It was going to be a lovely wedding.
Hurdles grow for business startups
Friday, Feb. 26, 2010
Finding a hole to race into a defensive secondary was a regular challenge for Mike Waters when he was a running back in coach John Robinson’s offense at UNLV, but that wasn’t nearly as challenging as navigating a course through the intricacies of starting a business.
Consultant urges change in how rail, road projects are developed
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010
Government leaders have to change their mindset about how transportation projects are developed, planning more regional development and less by states, a leading transportation consultant says.
Interactive signs at Aria will lead to biggest jackpots
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010
The multimedia team at the Aria is working to develop interactive display signs that will enable gamblers to find progressive slot machines with the biggest jackpots on the casino floor.
Fontainebleau sitting idle benefits Strip’s economy
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010
Ever since it became clear a month ago that financier Carl Icahn would be the new owner of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the big question has been: When will it open?
Q&A: John Repetti
Friday, Feb. 19, 2010
John Repetti has seen downtown Las Vegas’ ups and downs for decades.
How Station Casinos’ winners become budding TV stars
Friday, Feb. 19, 2010
Maybe you’ve asked the same question when you’ve seen them smiling from behind the nicely fanned-out handful of big bills or chortling through their spiels on how fun it is to be a winner.
MGM Mirage, Las Vegas Sands earnings show Strip competition heating up
Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010
There's little to glean about the success of CityCenter from the first earnings results issued by the major casino companies since the opening of MGM Mirage's shiny new Strip addition.
To counter slump, Memphis Barbecue serves breakfast
Friday, Feb. 12, 2010
A popular local restaurant chain has found success in addition instead of subtraction.
National monument designation could boost tourism, economic diversification
Friday, Feb. 12, 2010
Will an area north of Las Vegas be designated the nation’s newest national monument?
NFL finds Kia’s Super Bowl ad featuring Las Vegas anything but cute
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010
Never has a Kia Sorento gotten such great mileage — and never has Las Vegas enjoyed such a free ride. South Korea’s second-largest car manufacturer made its Super Bowl advertising debut in the third quarter of Sunday’s game with a collection of life-size toys joy riding through the National Football League’s ban against showing casinos.
Number of visitors to Las Vegas dropped 3 percent last year
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010
The number of visitors to Las Vegas declined by 3 percent last year when compared to 2008.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said the city had 36,351,469 visitors last year.
February packs 'em in for convergence of conventions, events
Monday, Feb. 8, 2010
Maybe for just this one month, Las Vegas can pretend it’s not wallowing in the depths of a recession. And why not?
Q&A: Robert Graff
Corporate vice president of marketing for the Papillon Group
Friday, Feb. 5, 2010
For a company operating in a global market, it’s a plus to have a marketing executive fluent in seven languages.
Why you won't see Las Vegas ads during the Super Bowl
Friday, Feb. 5, 2010
Printing and selling T-shirts with the phrase “Who dat in the Super Bowl?” will get you a cease-and-desist order from the National Football League. The NFL considers the phrases “Who dat?” and “Super Bowl” its intellectual property. Nevermind “Who dat?” was part of the Louisiana vernacular long before New Orleans Saints fans adopted it as a battle cry for their team, which will make its first Super Bowl appearance Sunday.
Developer gets 2 acres on Las Vegas Strip for $25 million
Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010
A Las Vegas developer has acquired more than two acres at a key intersection on the Las Vegas Strip for $25 million after being deemed the only qualified bidder in a Clark County auction.
Las Vegas' Allegiant Air adding Michigan base
Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air will open a new base in Grand Rapids, Mich., in April to position itself for East Coast growth.
Backers of maglev train say Chinese bank prepared to fund project
Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010
The proponents of a maglev train line between Las Vegas and Southern California say a Chinese government-controlled bank has agreed to loan up to $7 billion to help build the high-speed transportation system.
Southwest Airlines says it's ready to grow with Las Vegas
Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010
Southwest Airlines’ top executive says the airline is in a position to grow in Las Vegas as the economy gets better but stopped short of promising new flights to McCarran International Airport. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly, in Las Vegas Monday to congratulate local employees for winning the company’s 2009 Spirit Week competition, said he was well aware that his arrival coincided with competitor US Airways’ closure of its pilot and flight attendant bases at McCarran and said his airline — McCarran’s busiest — doesn’t take Las Vegas for granted.
Big strides for Urban Chamber
Friday, Jan. 29, 2010
Things are starting to look up for the Las Vegas Urban Chamber of Commerce.
Geyser on private land chosen as attraction to draw tourists to state
Friday, Jan. 29, 2010
Like most tourism marketers, the Nevada Tourism Commission is doing what it can to get a maximum bang for its advertising bucks.
Jim Murren: ‘Near-death experience’ nearly pushed MGM Mirage to bankruptcy
Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010
MGM Mirage, the state’s largest employer and taxpayer, is rejoining the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce after a six-year hiatus. Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of the company, told an audience at Preview 2010 on Thursday that the decision to rejoin the chamber came after MGM Mirage’s “near-death experience” during the construction of its CityCenter.
Cuts in Las Vegas help US Airways narrow losses
Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010
US Airways, the second-busiest air carrier at McCarran International Airport for more than a decade, narrowed losses in the fourth quarter with a strategy that includes a major cutback in Las Vegas. At one time, the airline had an average 140 daily flights here.
Business leaders to outline expectations for 2010
Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010
How Southern Nevada will fare economically in 2010 will be the key topic today at the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce’s biggest networking event, Preview Las Vegas.
Taxicab Authority OKs boost in cab numbers for events
Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010
Expecting good turnouts for four conventions that end when the Super Bowl weekend begins, the Nevada Taxicab Authority has approved additional cabs on city streets in early February. The five-member board that regulates Clark County’s taxi industry also authorized additional cabs for NASCAR weekend at the end of the month.
Airlines suffering from fewer passengers, lower fares
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010
The airline industry is suffering the same fate as Southern Nevada’s resort community, serving fewer customers who are paying less for what they get, an aviation analyst says.
Allegiant beats estimate, expects fares to increase
Monday, Jan. 25, 2010
The parent company of Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air saw its fourth-quarter earnings shrink with climbing fuel prices and an economy that forced the company to reduce fares.
Report says area is nation’s most dependent on outsiders
Monday, Jan. 25, 2010
Southern Nevada’s dependence on tourism has been common knowledge for years, but a new report suggests that it’s the most tourism-dependent economy in the United States. The Las Vegas area ranked first, second or third in five of the six comparisons, and in the sixth index, it ranked fourth out of the 23.
Las Vegas may be most tourism-dependent city in U.S.
Friday, Jan. 22, 2010
We all know Southern Nevada is dependent on tourism, but a new report suggests that it’s the most tourism-dependent economy in the United States.
Q&A: Cathy Tull
LVCVA's senior vice president of marketing
Friday, Jan. 22, 2010
Cathy Tull has quietly become the highest-ranking female executive in the history of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Chef brings taste of Oaxaca to Henderson
Friday, Jan. 22, 2010
Scott Sousa thinks he has the right recipe for opening an upscale restaurant in a down economy — give customers flavors they’ve probably never tasted before.
Mayor says North Las Vegas seeing signs of recovery
Mayor Shari Buck gives annual State of the City Address
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010
While the recession raged in Southern Nevada, 35 major businesses opened their doors in North Las Vegas, 12 others expanded substantially and 1,500 new business licenses — nearly half of them for home-based operations — were issued by the city.
Gaming Commission OKs $100,000 settlement with Harrah’s
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010
The Nevada Gaming Commission has approved a settlement with Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. over a complaint involving the rescission of three sports wagers in violation of state gaming regulations at the Harrah’s sports book on the Strip.
Carl Icahn group gets licensing to run 3 Nevada casinos
Company official mum on plans for Fontainebleau
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010
The Nevada Gaming Commission today approved the licensing of Carl Icahn’s Tropicana Entertainment LLC to control three Nevada properties and position the company to oversee nine casinos in four states.
Southwest Airlines posts profit in fourth quarter
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, the market leader at McCarran International Airport, today reported fourth-quarter earnings that gave the airline its 37th straight year of profitability.
DesertXpress prepared to build; maglev, monorail extension on hold
Friday, Jan. 15, 2010
One of the assets of a great tourism destination is its transportation infrastructure, and 2009 had its fair share of news about three rail proposals that not only would get tourists to Las Vegas, but move them around the city once they are here.
Analyst: Caesars Palace moving forward on stalled tower
Harrah’s disputes report, says it’s waiting for economy to improve
Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010
A gaming industry analyst says he believes Harrah’s Entertainment has begun soliciting bids to complete the Octavius Tower at Caesars Palace. But a Harrah’s spokesman said today that the company hasn’t made any moves.
Station Casinos developing new concepts for shuttered Cherry, Stoney’s clubs
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010
Two nightclubs at Station Casinos properties have closed their doors for different reasons that officials are emphasizing have nothing to do with the company’s bankruptcy filing. Cherry, the Red Rock Resort club that opened its doors when the property debuted in April 2006, and Stoney’s North Forty, a country music club at Santa Fe Station, are making way for new attractions.
LVCVA to spend $296,000 for inaugural Celtic festival
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors today authorized spending $296,000 over two years to develop a new event for the city that would bring bagpipers and drummers, Celtic dancing and athletic competitions.
Las Vegas monthly visitor numbers continue to climb
November visitors increased 2.9 percent from a year earlier
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010
November marked the third consecutive year-over-year increase in monthly visitation, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced today. More than 2.9 million people visited Las Vegas during November 2009.